Tag: christmas

Thankmas Day Seventeen: Thank you Fiona and Jonny

“Doing and actually getting an A on my CELTA (relevant post here) was undoubtedly one of my most memorable and probably the biggest highlight of the year and I wouldn’t have managed to finish it, let alone achieve the highest grade without my classmates”, I wrote yesterday.

But there are two so very important people I would certainly not have done the CELTA (let alone get an A) without, my CELTA tutors, Jonny and Fiona.

I posted about it before and from conversations I had with fellow teachers, I feel I was lucky to have such great tutors.

They were not just incredible teachers themselves (I observed them both delivering interesting, interactive, informative lessons so naturally they made it look easy, but trust me, it is not!) but amazing teacher trainers too. Our input sessions with them were always fun and varied, they managed to grab our attention every single time and we learned a lot from them (with some exceptions towards the end of the course when we were all exhausted and our attention span shrank significantly). Two superb professionals, who though quite different in their teaching methods and personalities, they are a match made in heaven.

What made a huge difference for me was their understanding, kindness and above all, empathy, a rare trait nowadays.

I cried in front of both of them on week one after I informed them my grandpa had died and they not only offered me a break if I had felt I needed it, but they checked up on me making sure I was OK.

They also helped me manage my anxiety which reached ridiculous levels during my CELTA- I haven’t felt that stressed teaching as a professional and I’ve been working with a large number of students, nothing beats CELTA-induced stress I guess-, especially Fiona. She had a way of bringing me back to the moment and somehow making me forget about stress even for a while.

I shared a special moment with each I won’t share, they are both quite personal , but I’ll never forget.

I’ll never forget as well that they believed in me enough to push me for that A grade. They didn’t have to do it, they took a risk and I’m over the moon I didn’t disappoint them.

So thank you Jonny and Fiona. Thank you for your advice and nurturing, your empathy and kindness, your love for that you do, your honesty (God I miss a no bull***t Fiona chat!), for believing in me and for all your hard work.

I wish I’d have spent more time with you, there’s so much more I could have learned!

Eleni

Thankmas Day Sixteen: Thank you CELTA classmates

Doing and actually getting an A on my CELTA (you can check out relevant post here) was undoubtedly one of my most memorable and probably the biggest highlight of the year and I wouldn’t have managed to finish it, let alone achieve the highest grade without my classmates.

The (full time) CELTA experience is so unique and intense, it brings people very close very fast, at least that’s what happened with us. It’s hard not to when you spend most of the day, every day for a month together and you see each other at their worst, stressed, tired and emotional.

We looked after another, comforted each other, read each other’s assignments, lesson plans, helped with cutting, glueing, offered food, got coffee, had a laugh, a cry, long chats, we did it all.

I still remember the hug Carolina gave me when I told her my grandpa had died, the sandwich Darren offered me just before my last TP, since I was so stressed I hadn’t eaten all day, the coffee I desperately needed and Elliot got me when I was running late for my lesson planning session and I had barely slept the night before, laughs to the point I almost peed myself with Sonia, deep conversations on life with Monalisa, Shalala’s look, she could always read my emotions, (I’ll never forget on our last day when we just looked at each other and we both started crying) Fatima’s spicy dates I snacked on for days, Ralph’s bright red face the first time he made a sarcastic joke and Anoushka’s brilliantly still unspoilt enthusiasm (ah to be 21 again!).

So thank you everyone, I would have quit on week one if it weren’t for you.

I hope you are all doing well in your new and not new jobs and lives. Maybe one day we’ll meet again but even if we don’t, we will always have that strong, special bond of August 2019 in Cambridge.

Eleni

Thankmas Day Fifteen: Thank you Mary

My biggest worry when I moved to Cambridge for a month to do my CELTA was accommodation.

Cambridge is expensive and I couldn’t afford a BnB (or AirBnb) near the college for a month and I didn’t want to live in the centre and commute every day so I opted for the homestay option (staying with a family, though luckily in my case the host’s children had grown up and moved out) the college offered which included breakfast and dinner. But I was terrified. I’ve been living on my own for the last three years (minus a 6 month break in which I lived with a flatmate I did not get along with) and I had knots in my stomach even thinking about living with someone else again.

On a hot, sunny day, the 25th of July, I met Mary, my host, for the first time. She didn’t say much before she grabbed my luggage to clean the wheels and asked me to take my shoes off. I wasn’t sure what to expect after that first encounter.

But Mary turned out to be an incredible host. She didn’t speak much English, though we always somehow managed to communicate, she was wonderfully weird, hanging out bedsheets to dry on the staircase, wearing a plastic bag on her head to keep the fish smell away and I loved her to bits.

She made delicious albeit always ‘with a Chinese flavour’ food every day for all her guests, she would serve dinner for me in her own private kitchen when it was too noisy in the other room because she knew I needed peace and quiet (she’d even tell others to keep it quiet when the levels of noise were too high), she brought me fruit and other treats when I was stuck in my room for hours working on lesson plans, she did my washing and made me feel comfortable and well looked after.

My CELTA experience was definitely one of my 2019 highlights and Mary was huge part of it.

I would have probably worn the same dirty clothes and starved for a month if it wasn’t for Mary. So thank you Mary! I miss your delicious cooking and your sweet laughter!

Eleni

Thankmas Day Fourteen: Thank you Debs and Hannah

May 2019,

A year after signing up as volunteer, in a packed CoffeeLab I hosted my last Touch event.

Our monthly events were definitely one of my most precious 2019 highlights.

I’ve written about Touch before, the mental health social enterprise I volunteered for, organising intimate story nights where incredible, amazing, extraordinary everyday humans like you and me, find the courage to stand in front of strangers and share their most personal experiences, overcoming difficulties, coping with whatever life brought to them. I teared up, laughed and left in awe and inspired after every single evening and even though it’s been months, I still remember most of the people and their stories.

If you want to know more you can read a post I wrote a few months ago.

Today I want to say thank you to the two amazing, sweet, caring ladies behind this, Debs, the founder of Touch and Hannah, Deb’s right hand. Thank you for letting me be part of this incredible experience, for trusting me, driving me around with you, for your love and support.

I miss you and our monthly events and I sincerely hope one day to start something similar wherever I end up living. In the meantime I’ve been telling everyone about it!

Eleni

Thankmas Day Thirteen: Thank you music

How dull, meaningless, poor life would be without music? I genuinely think I’d die without it.

I always loved music, I always listen to music, on my way to work, at work, on my way home, at home, everywhere.

If it weren’t for music (and my guitar which I love) I wouldn’t have made this year.

It’s been my therapy, a safe space to laugh, cry, let me emotions unfold, get my frustrations out, remember and honour loved ones.

So thank you to every single person who makes music from the editor, guitarist, drummer, singer to Spotify and Soundcloud.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Eleni

Thankmas Day Twelve: Thank you Dan

On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me… Dan!

Once again I’m struggling to decide where to start from. Where and how do I begin? Words are too little to describe one of my favourite humans ever, Dan, though if you know me in person, the chances are I have already spoken to you about him, I’m pretty sure I even talked to strangers about him.

I’ve known Dan for about five years now, when I first joined the Uni’s staff choir, a decision that completely changed my life.

I won’t say much about all the fun, amazing things we did with the staff choir, you can read about it here, I just want to thank Dan for being there for me, particularly this last year, listening, calming, cheering me up, helping me control my anxiety and also sharing one of the most amazing, challenging experiences of my life, our Macmillan Mighty Hike, and oh my, mighty it was, it nearly broke us.

Dan is one of the very few people that can understand exactly how my brain works (in all kind of mysterious, crazy ways) and how I feel without having to say much and I somehow can do the same for him,we are very similar in that way, something incredibly rare. I consider myself extremely lucky our paths crossed.

Thank you Dan. I miss you terribly, especially on Tuesdays afternoon.

Eleni

Thankmas Day Eleven: Thank you Lucy

What I wouldn’t give for a lunchtime date with Lucy.

I’ve known the awesome, funny, intelligent, amazing, beautiful Lucy for a couple of years now but over the last year we bonded over our monthly catch ups over lunch, talking away our troubles, chatting about mental health, something we are both passionate about, music, food, interesting books we read, musicals, food, holidays, politics, the environment, academia, whatever you can imagine. I’ve learnt a lot from her.

I always felt that Lucy and I could talk about anything and everything openly with no judgement or prejudice and we always, always had a laugh.

Our lunches were our own little monthly therapy sessions.

Lucy would often check up on me, cheer me on and remind me how lucky I am to have such incredible human beings like her for friends.

So thank you my dear, thank you for, well, everything.

Eleni

Thankmas Day Ten: Thank you Phoebe Waller-Bridge

‘Are you really dedicating a post to an actress/producer/writer you never met?‘ you might ask.

And the answer is yes, of course.

Have you ever watched a film or a TV show you loved so much it sort of changed your life? That’s Fleabag for me, a fictional character I actually, genuinely love.

I love a good TV show, a show so brilliantly written, with dialogues that can easily be turned into a book about your own life because they somehow capture your deepest, most intimate thoughts, worries, troubles, with incredible characters you cannot but only love and feel like they could be your friends.

That’s what Fleabag is for me. Definitely one of my highlights of 2019.

A TV show, a play, a book, any form of art when masterly, skilfully crafted can truly feed creativity and touch your soul in a way nothing else can. That’s why art is essential part of everyone’s life. How else can we try and make sense of this world whilst also documenting our culture for future generations? Art is the food of the soul, and when that food is cooked to perfection, you can’t but enjoy every single bite.

So thank you Phoebe for bringing Fleabag into our lives, the best comedy drama show ever made (and for Killing Eve). You are a genius!

Eleni

Thankmas Day Nine: Thank you Chris

I can write a book about Chris and it will still not be possible to capture his endless kindness, incredible sense of humour and impeccable taste in music, food (we love talking about food), travel, films, TV series.

Chris has been an amazing friend, especially in the last few years. He helped me move I don’t even know how many times, he put furniture together for me, he introduced me to some of my all time favourite music and series, he always made time for me and he was always there for me.

We had long and deep conversations on the meaning of life, mental health and life struggles as well as discussions on the best cuisine or dish we had, crime stories as well as random topics we both enjoyed.

When I first started thinking of what was the best thing to do, I told him about it, before I even made the decision. I always ask Chris when I can’t decide, I don’t have to explain much, he always gets me. Very few people do and Chris is one of them.

I remember a few days after I finally decided, we went out for a drink after work and told him about it. I still remember his reaction. He looked sad and happy at the same time and he didn’t even have to say anything. I knew he was incredibly happy for me but also very sad I was going away.

I knew because I felt exactly the same.

I miss our catch ups, long emails, Christmas party dances, random conversations but I’m sure we’ll always be in touch, no doubt about that.

So thank you Chris, not just for all your help and support this year but for always, always believing in me even when I didn’t believe in myself. You are truly one of the most wonderful, kindest, awesome humans I’ve ever met and I’m truly blessed to count me as one of my dearest friends.

  • Day of the Dead coming soon

Eleni

Thankmas Day Eight: Thank you Suzanne

I sometimes feel I’ve been extremely lucky (minus one unfortunate occasion) with the managers I’ve had so far. In all the part-time jobs I worked for they’ve all been great and the two (out of three) I had when working full time, well one of them, Chris is now a great friend and one of my favourite humans and the other one is also a great friend and one of my favourite humans as well as one of my career and life advisers over the last couple of years.

Suzanne supported me from day one, always believed in me and trusted me with huge responsibilities, always protected me and she knew almost from the start that I wasn’t made for an office so she used to send me other more interesting jobs to apply for, we used to talk about travels and business ideas and all sorts.

When I told her soon after I decided what I was planning to do, she was so happy for me and helped me with references, moving, getting rid of things and everything else I needed.

Sue Sue was not just my boss (coolest boss ever), she was and still is my friend, one of the original members of our little Culture Club, always up for a drink and a laugh, a truly awesome human with a heart of gold. I don’t think anyone will ever be able to be as nearly as an amazing manager as Suzanne.

So thank you Suzanne, thank you for believing in me and pushing me to follow my dreams and for always looking after me. Best boss ever!

Eleni